Why the NRL teams who can’t make the finals shouldn’t give up just yet on 2021

Some NRL teams have suffered a nightmare 2021 campaign, but a premiership-winning coach insists there can be silver linings to be found at the end of a sorry season.

It’s times like these where coaches can unearth a premiership-winning player — just ask Shane Flanagan.

Whether a team is destined for the wooden spoon or mired in a losing streak from hell, Flanagan is adamant there is plenty to be gained from the final rounds of a failed campaign.

Three also-rans — Canterbury, Brisbane and North Queensland — are mathematically out of finals contention already, with the Tigers, Dragons, Warriors and Sharks just a loss or two away from joining them in an early off-season.

The race to the 2021 NRL Telstra Finals Series is on and every game matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

But Flanagan insists there can be silver linings to be found at the end of a sorry campaign.

“You want to finish the season on a positive, you want to finish as a positive in the playing group and leave a good taste in the coaches mouth,” the premiership-winning coach said.

The Bulldogs have had another tough season. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“That’s a really important thing for individuals and for the teams to finish with some sort of form.”

Results remain important — no matter how wretched the season has become — but individual development becomes just as crucial.

Take Flanagan’s 2011 Sharks as an example — they crashed out of finals contention with an eight-match losing streak to end the season.

But from the ashes of their 13th-placed finish, a phoenix rose in the form of players like Chad Townsend, Wade Graham, Ricky Leutele, Jayson Bukuya and Sam Tagataese.

All five players, as well as skipper Paul Gallen, emerged out of the wreckage that year to feature in the club’s historic premiership triumph in 2016. Graham went on to become a club captain.

“Canterbury, North Queensland and Brisbane are all in that position, where you can give some players time to serve their apprenticeship,” Flanagan said.

“I remember Wade back in 2011, that was his first year with us and the more first grade he played — win, loss or draw — the better off he was going to be.

“We needed to get some games to him, have him learn what first grade was all about.

“That was a very important time for a lot of individuals in that group, just to get them game time and not be so worried about the result — more so worried about getting things together, working systems in attack and defence so they understand how to execute it.”

The Broncos have blooded some young players this season. Picture: NRL Images

But it’s not as simple as letting the boys out there and playing. Losing, and losing heavily, week after week can be a traumatic experience that can seriously shatter a player’s confidence heading into an off-season.

North Queensland halfback Tom Dearden has lost 23 of his past 24 first grade games — a harrowing introduction to the NRL for a player with such a glittering junior career.

Shane’s son Kyle, with the wooden-spoon bound Bulldogs, is in a similar position.

“Every year of Kyle’s footy, even in Under 20s and when he was at Newtown, they’ve won and been in grand finals. For Dearden it would be the same,” Flanagan said.

“This would be a shock for them, but they’ll learn a lot about themselves. They learn it isn’t all rosy and sometimes you have to fight and work really hard and how to find form.

“Learning how to find form, really get back to basics, is very important.

“Some of those players have probably never thought about being in and out of form because they’ve always been in winning teams. So most of the time when they do fall out of form they find it again because they have that culture around them.”

Tom Dearden has had a tough start to his NRL career. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

DEAD TEAMS WALKING

BULLDOGS

Predicted finish: 16th

What they’re looking for: Survivors.

Trent Barrett will have a very different roster for Round 1 of 2022 with a host of new recruits coming to Belmore. But there’s still plenty of spots left on the roster and the Bulldogs coach will no doubt remember which players kept fighting to the very end as the club collected the wooden spoon.

COWBOYS

Predicted finish: 15th

What they’re looking for: Improvement from Tom Dearden.

Dearden is on a hellish run of outs but it wasn’t so long ago he was counted as one of the top halfback prospects in the game. That talent doesn’t vanish overnight and getting as many reps in as possible before Chad Townsend joins the club will be crucial for the former Bronco.

The Cowboys haven’t had much to cheer about in 2021. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

BRONCOS

What they’re looking for: More from Tesi Niu

Predicted finish: 14th

Niu has been a shining light for the Broncos since he switched back to fullback and while centre is likely his long-term position, the Tongan international is sure to be a huge part of Brisbane’s future going forward. If the Queenslanders are to contend for the finals again soon, Niu will be a big part of it.

DRAGONS

Predicted finish: 13th

What they’re looking for: Good signs from the young brigade

Technically, the Dragons can still make the finals. But, given they’ve lost their last five, likely need to go undefeated through the last three weeks, and are without skipper Ben Hunt, we can just about put a line through them. In that case, getting the likes of Tyrell Sloan, Junior Amone and Jayden Sullivan as much time on the field as possible becomes the top priority.

Originally published as Why the NRL teams who can’t make the finals shouldn’t give up just yet on 2021